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Monday, June 16, 2014

Flying High In Air

Passengers scheduled to fly in this peak summer holiday
season faced uncertain times

The aviation regulator has charged pilots with seriously
jeopardizing passenger safety by flying planes filled to capacity. In this
searing heat, pilots operating must be lighter at least 20 per cent due to
technical reasons to “fly safely”.

While some pilots said "no comments, hic! " on
this development as they are still having hangover, while King of Goodtimes did
not respond a query as he was flying high.

Pilots have been asked to throw the remaining 20per cent and
make alternate arrangements to affect the rule changes.

In summer, the extremely hot — and light — air means that
pilots do not get adequate lift and so they have to go light to get steadily
airborne.

while India's aviation safety ranking may have been recently downgraded, but
that hasn't stopped the authorities from relaxing norms for drunk flying and
endangering passenger safety. A pilot will now lose his or her flying licence
only when caught flying in an inebriated state for the third time. Earlier,
this fate would befall them on the second instance itself. The directorate
general of civil aviation (DGCA) watered down the punishment for flight crew
reporting to work high last week when it issued a new civil aviation
requirement (CAR) on alcohol consumption.

Before this dilution, pilots would have their licence ‘on
the rocks’ suspended for three months when caught drunk for the first time at
work.

Ironically while the punishment for being caught high has
been diluted with soda water, the 'hunt' for anyone reporting to work high has
been made stringent. As per rules, pilots, cabin crew and even engineers should
stop consumption of alcohol, sedatives or narcotics at least 12 hours before
their flights.